Sing, Lonely Glass
by Enigmatic Epitaph
Summary: Another new captain for the 3rd division. Poor Kira has to deal with another strange captain...who may even be worse than Gin. O/C Present, but not as love interest. Love triangle with Momo, Izuru, and Shiro. References to past Ichimaru/Matsumoto.
1. A Strange Day

It was fitting, he supposed, that this first meeting with Ichimaru Gin's replacement would be characterized by dread. There had never been such a bubbling of fear in his stomach, not even when he'd fought against Hinamori, not even when he faced a hollow while still in the Shinigami academy. There was no way a captain would be capable of trusting him, after the terrible things he'd done out of loyalty to his former captain. It was likely better that way, true, but something deep inside felt broken every time he reminded himself that Hinamori's madness was his fault.

All around him were the other Captains and Lieutenants, their expressions varying from interest to utter boredom. Kira Izuru found himself wishing that Yamamoto would allow these sorts of ceremonies to die out. "You shouldn't look so worried, Izuru-san." The lieutenant shinigami nearly leapt in the air as Matsumoto nudged him, her eyes sparkling. "I'm curious to meet him too."

"Err…yes. Yes, you're right." Kira looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. Rangiku shouldn't have had to tell him to lighten up. It was all too clear that he still felt the pain of that particular betrayal. Even Matsumoto could hide it, and it wasn't exactly a secret that she and Ichimaru had been intimate.

"I heard a rumor that this new captain is from Special Ops…like that disaster of a captain Amagai…no offense, Kira." Izuru only shrugged at Ise's words, instead focusing on the sudden hush that had come over the collected officers, which were scattered with various murmurs of "He's here!"

The doors were drawn open, and the shinigami standing behind them turned. "Oh…uh…hi there!" Izuru was flabbergasted. He'd pictured his next captain to be another young male shinigami, with powerful wisdom and an even more powerful zanpakuto.

But there stood a young woman, her unruly jaw length black hair loose, save for two pins that held the bangs from her face. Her sky blue eyes searched the room, calculating despite the confusion that was written across her face. There were no welcoming words for the girl; instead there were welcoming stares and whispers.

Despite this, she smiled, and seemed to walk confidently into the room. Izuru paid little attention to the words Yamamoto spewed in his assurance of complete confidence in this new captain. Instead, the lieutenant studied his new captain. She was slender and her robes were loose enough to expose a little of her breasts. Her zanpakuto hung from her back, in the form of a nodachi. That on its own was impressive; if she was already suppressing her blade's energy, it made the lieutenant wonder what other form the zanpakuto took.

He went completely still when she turned to look at him, her eyes piercing him to the core. Even after she turned back to Yamamoto, Izuru found it difficult to relax, as sweat was starting to drip down his neck. _That…energy…she can focus it completely…and suffocate me with it. So…terrifying…_

A few moments later, the meeting was over, and the various captains and lieutenants were moving from the room, and his new Captain was strolling over to him, the energy roiling in her eyes. No movement of hers was wasted, she was _definitely _former special ops. But this energy was so powerful, so intense, there was no way she had been left to rot in special ops for so long without a reason. Kira gulped, knowing what that meant. It meant she was especially dangerous, and only now had Soul Society seen fit to move her from storage. But…why?


	2. Fear of Ghosts

"I'm Sabishii Harina." The woman scowled up at him, her gaze still sending shivers down Kira's body. He noted the femininity of the two hairpins, which were coated in azure rhinestones to match her eyes. Bluebirds, he thought, unsure whether or not amusement was a suitable reaction. Next to be seen were her eyelashes…well, the startling length of the lashes. Yes, she was another drop dead like Rangiku, despite her short hair and tough demeanor.

"Kira Izuru…" he responded, trying not to cringe as her eyes narrowed. They stayed fixed on his, and Kira stared back, though every nerve in his body screamed for him to just look aside, to admit subservience. A mere five seconds and he did, his back covered in frigid sweat.

"Well then, come, Lieutenant. There's much to do." In a quick movement, she'd turned, her robes whispering. He stared at her back, at the sleeveless haori with the mark of '3' upon it…

_His entire body was aching, with a mix of physical pain and self-loathing. "I'm a monster," he whispered, limbs beginning to quiver. "I'm a monster for lifting my sword against her!"_

_"You look so frail…" the voice slid over him like water, like poison. Ichimaru Gin stood outside of the bars of his prison; ever-present grin splitting his face with more mirth than was usual. "Want me to save you?"_

_He hated himself for the way the hope shone in his eyes. For the way he hesitated, just that once, between the loyalty to his past and the loyalty to his captain. Between love and duty. "Come with me, Izuru…"_

"Hey! I said we're going!" The sharp words broke him from the memory, and Kira nearly leapt into the air, gasping sharply. "Get your ass in gear, or find me a new 2nd in command!"

She didn't speak again after that. Neither did he, for that matter, though he rolled the syllables of her name around on his tongue, tasting them, testing them. _Sabishii Harina. Sabishii…Harina. Her name is just as weird as his was. _Kira watched her back, watched the swaying of robes about her feet. These were noticeably small, and he pondered them for a minute, wondering if he could develop a haiku about this strange new captain.

Looking at her back allowed him a direct view of the zanpakuto that hung across her back. _That thing is huge, even if she's condensing it. But then, her reiatsu is enormous. It makes sense for her sword to stay large even with the limit on her power. The only other one I've seen like that is Kenpachi's-_

Kira was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he nearly ran into Sabishii. "Wh-what is it Captain?" _Great, what's gone wrong? We're almost there, so why has she sto-_

"Persimmon trees?" She inquired, her head tilting up to follow the branches of the trees.

"Y-yes. They're sort of an oddity of the 3rd division."

"The persimmon tree bears fruit…" she mumbled, before turning back to scrutinize him with her sky blue gaze. "Aaah, the persimmon tree bears fruit again this year." Her scrutiny ended with a snort, and she continued walking. "They're an acquired taste."

So she read the haikus in Seireitei Communication. _Definitely a weird one. Most girls would forgo my work to read Shuuhei's, despite the fact that his articles are...absolutely useless. _"Does this mean you're a fan of my haikus?" Kira asked timidly, his curiosity growing with every step.

Sabishii shrugged, looking out at the persimmon trees once more. "I suppose so, Kira-san. I enjoy writing the odd poem in my free time as much as the next guy." She turned back around, a sign the conversation was over. When she flung open the doors to the Division Office, the few shinigami left in it looked around curiously, especially when they noted that she was female.

Eventually, Sabishii made it to her desk, and sat down in the wooden chair behind it. "Fuck." She stated bluntly, staring at the mountains of paperwork accumulated upon its walnut surface. "Fuck fuck fuck." Noting the silence in the office, she looked up. "What? A girl can't curse?"

The shinigami all coughed and muttered their apologies, going about their business. True, it was perfectly normal for there to be such a display of loathing towards paperwork and bureaucracy in general; it was not normal to see such an ardent display from a woman.

"Um, Captain, if you want, I can assist you with a little of that…"

"Why weren't you assisting earlier? Did you just forgo all paperwork when your other captains either dropped dead or abandoned you?"

That hurt, but Kira didn't let it show. "No ma'am, that's just the remainder of what has been left undone…"

"Then make it disappear, lieutenant, or I'll make you disappear." Kira settled in meekly, working as rapidly as he could to appease this new, demanding captain. After a few minutes of work, however, it felt like her ungodly reiatsu was focusing even more angrily on her after he began to focus. Timidly, Kira set down his pen, and glanced at his Captain.

"Not going to offer a tour?" She growled, and though all of his instincts were screaming for him to run, disappear, separate from this demon, he stood, and gave a shaky laugh.

"It went right out of my head, captain. I'll get the rest to keep working…"

"Captain Sabishii, if you please."

_"Calling me Captain all the time seems a little ridiculous, Izuru." Ichimaru rested his weight against one of the railings that lined the outdoor passageways of Soul Society. His perpetual smirk was pointed at the moon, but Kira couldn't help but feel that it was pointed at him. "If you must leave my title in, call me Captain Ichimaru, if you please."_

Kira stared at his new captain, his shock at all the uncanny resemblances between Sabishii and Ichimaru rooting him to the spot. Her gaze was still locked on him, but he was distant, unable to feel that burning energy pointed so angrily at him. Finally, after what felt like two lifetimes, a calm voice that couldn't possibly be his apologized, and asked for her to please follow him.

Like an automaton, he walked through the Third Division's office, introducing other shinigami and observing passively as Sabishii exchanged pleasantries with her underlings.

_Who better to understand specters and spirits than a shinigami? And who worse to fear them?_


End file.
